Riviera Theatre

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INFO
Located in the historic Uptown theater district, the Riviera Theatre is one of Chicago’s premier concert venues.
The theater was built in 1917 by the Rapp Brothers, a famous architectural duo known for designing magnificent...
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Riviera Theatre
Information

Located in the historic Uptown theater district, the Riviera Theatre is one of Chicago’s premier concert venues.

The theater was built in 1917 by the Rapp Brothers, a famous architectural duo known for designing magnificent theaters and performance venues. The building was originally designed as a movie theater for the theater corporation Balaban & Katz. It became a private nightclub in 1986, and has since developed into one of Chicago’s most famous concert venues.

Throughout the years, the Riviera Theatre has hosted an impressive list of both local and national acts. Although the theater is one of the nicest and best maintained in Chicago, a wonderful series of grunge shows at the Riviera Theatre have included the Foo Fighters and Bad Religion. The venue, with a capacity of 2,300, continues to host both laid-back and energetic shows several times a week, appealing to young and old viewers alike.

In 1991, Tin Machine performed at the Riviera during their It’s My Life Tour. Part of the performance was used in the band’s live album, just before David Bowie dissolved the group to return to his solo career.

Riviera Theatre
User Reviews

Its always an experience when you enter one of Chicago's historic venues. There are no bad seats at the Riv. I went to one of the energetic shows there mid February. The parking was easy, as they have pay to parks along each street for blocks. Stylz from Stylz and Roman b96 was the opening act for the duo Timeflies that I was there for.
The age was 18 and older so you have to get a wrist band if you are 21 and up. Your concert experience always depend on the artists (of course), the seats you have, and the company you brought along with you. So you can't go wrong going to see a show at the Riviera, the venue itself is breathtaking because its older, very popular, and just one of Chicago's entertainment landmarks. The sound during the show was amazing. It's all general admission, including the balcony! Its not incredibly easy to get around (depending on the crowd) and a lot of people were standing in the aisle and all over the place. But other than that I definitely recommend the venue.

I was downstairs under the balcony the whole time for an Okkervil River/New Pornographers concert a few years back and looking at the pictures here, I wish I'd taken my eyes off the stage for just a moment to glance skyward. Is that gold? But enough regret; this venue rocks. It is pretty large, but because of the way it is laid out (or at least, because of the way the ground floor is laid out), you never feel too far from the stage. The multi-tiered structure allows just about everybody a decent view of whatever band happens to be playing (with the exception of couples who think they are invisible as they make out in the back), and the sound quality is pretty decent too.

I kind of expect pigeons to start flying around in this pace, but the Riv’s ramshackle state is worth it for the great shows booked here. Plus, you can still see signs of the theater’s 1920s glory days, and all the crumbling, grandiose details definitely give the place character. The balcony has (usually general-admission) seating, which makes it easier for everyone up there to see the stage. Most of the bands I’ve seen here have been relatively popular alternative acts like Wilco. The Riv’s bars are inconvenient, the corridors are ominous, and the Uptown location means you’ll probably deal with some weird nonsense when you leave, but I’ve never seen a bad show here.